Everything Has Changed
by contagiously
Summary: October 2012 Fictionista Workshop. Summary will be added as story unfolds. Short chapters. Story not beta'd.
1. Chapter 1

**All copyrights, trademarked items, or recognizable characters, plots, etc. mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without their express written authorization.**

**Not beta'd.  
**

**Plot Generator—Idea Completion**: Be careful what you wish for.

* * *

The incessant ringing from my nightstand jolted me upright from my sleeping state. The blinding light through the open window shades had me squinting as I reached my nightstand for my phone. Once the alarm had been silenced my relief was short lived when I continued to feel a pounding in my temple.

I flopped down onto the bed and groaned when I couldn't remember the previous night. As I snuggled into the warm of my comforter, the memories slowly started to return.

Alice.

A bar.

Drinks.

Lots of drinks.

Alice had left me a message Friday while I was at work to tell me that I was expected to attend a girl's night out at her favorite dive bar in Belltown, no excuses accepted. Given she had spent the previous two weeks moping at home, mending her broken heart over her cheating ex-boyfriend, I had little room to argue when she finally decided to become social again.

The evening had started out well enough. Alice had been preoccupied with something, which meant I was barely pestered over my choice of clothing for the night. I should have realized that was bad news for me.

After we'd had a few drinks at the bar, solemn Alice suddenly perked up in her chair and waved her hand in the air. I turned in the direction of her attention and had to groan in frustration.

Walking our way was Alice's "one that got away" high school crush, Jasper. We had all been friends in high school, the three of us the only ones from our class to attend UW, until Jasper had decided to join a fraternity and befriended the one and only, douchebag extraordinaire, Edward Cullen.

Who just happened to be walking in step with Jasper, now only feet away from our table.

"You guys made it!" Alice cried in excitement as she jumped up from her stool and hugged them both.

In my attempt to ignore Edward, I had to smile at the look on Jasper's face as he took Alice into his arms. I had always thought they'd be cute together, but the timing had never been right. Maybe that was going to change tonight. I could only hope.

The sound of my bedroom door opening pulled me from my thoughts, and I propped myself up on my elbows, expecting to see Alice's exuberant face. Instead I was greeted by bright verdant eyes, and a lazy smirk.

"You're up, _finally_."

"_What_ the fuck are you doing here?"

Edward rolled his eyes before turning to shut the door behind him.

"Your cat is loud in the morning, you know that?"

"Don't deflect... did we, um, we didn't...sleep together, did we?" I managed to stutter out between glancing down to make sure all my body parts were clothed.

Edward smirk turned into a full blown grin as he sauntered into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. "Of course we did."

My mouth gaped open as he continued to smile at me.

I wracked my brain for the memories as Edward leaned in close.

"We _slept _together Bella..." His hand brushed a lock of hair behind my ear and then he tapped my nose. "Just sleep...no fucking. That's something you'd definitely remember."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Unbeta'd. I'm a day behind on the prompts, maybe I'll catch up some day.

**Word Prompts**: Thrill, spill, chill.

* * *

"Why are you _here_, Edward?" I asked, unable to remember what took place the previous night.

"You don't remember asking me to stay last night?"

"Could you be serious for one second, please?"

Edward rolled his eyes at me before pulling the comforter up and sliding into bed beside me.

"What are you doing?!" I shrieked, pushing him away, albeit halfheartedly.

"Getting comfortable for story time…"

He reached back to fluff the pillow behind his head and then turned to face me.

"Comfy enough?"

Edward's lips formed a smug grin before answering, "Not quite." Before I could react, he had wrapped his arm around me and pulled me snug to his body. I closed my eyes and internally berated myself for the small thrill of feeling Edward's arms around me once again, before gesturing for him to tell his story.

"Alice and Jasper snuck off about an hour after we showed up. You decided to give them some privacy and stayed to have a few more drinks...Like the gentleman I am, I offered to bring you back home." He sat up and hovered over me, chuckling. "Your hair is a mess."

I rolled my eyes while subtly attempting to smooth the tangled mess atop my head.

"Okay, then what happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, Edward... It's been a year since we last spoke but I can still tell when you're hiding something."

Edward's face contorted in amusement. "Oh, you mean when you practically begging me to _make love_ to you?"

I pushed out of his embrace and climbed out of bed. "_Right_. Never mind asshole, I don't even care."

I stormed out of the bedroom and made my way to the kitchen where I could smell a fresh pot of coffee percolating. Reaching into the cabinet for my favorite ceramic mug, I couldn't help but notice the two aspirin sitting out on the counter beside the coffee maker. I swallowed them dry before pouring myself a steaming cup of French roast.

"Are Alice and Jasper here?" I asked, having heard Edward shuffling into the kitchen behind me.

"Nope, I guess they went to his place."

I hummed in agreement, letting the ceramic warm my hands. Turning toward the fridge I glanced up at Edward and gestured to the coffee pot.

"Then I guess it was you that…"

He leaned against the doorway a few feet away from me, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Don't worry about it. I know how you are in the morning before your caffeine fix…"

I turned to the fridge and busied myself with fixing my coffee, unwilling to let Edward know how his concern affected me.

"So, I guess, I'll go now…" His voice simultaneously broke the awkward silence in the room and startled me into spilling the milk I was pouring out of my mug and onto the counter.

I cursed, set the milk down and turned to get the dish rag that was beside the sink when it was suddenly held in front of me.

"Thanks."

I quickly swiped up the spill and tossed the rag onto the counter.

"Do you uh, need a ride home?"

Edward shook his head, a feat that was made even more adorable when he ran his hand through his hair.

"No, I...um... I'm only a few blocks away, it's a quick walk."

I gaped in surprise, rather shocked he had not only moved out of the frat house, but out of the U-District all together.

"Oh, okay. Well…thank you. For your help last night."

"No problem. See ya later, Bella."

His hands awkwardly patted down his pockets before waving and walking out of the apartment. When I heard the door shut behind him, I breathed out a sigh of relief. Being around Edward again was exhausting and I felt like climbing right back into bed.

A small nudge against my ankle had me looking down at the small orange ball of fur.

"Morning, Tiggy."

I crouched down to pet his ears, loving the way I could not only feel but hear his purrs of contentment. Looking over at his food bowl almost knocked me off balance.

Edward Cullen had fed my cat.

That considerate bastard was going to be the death of me.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **Unbeta'd. I have no real direction where this is going so if you have any suggestions on what things you'd like to know about these characters let me know in a review.

**Word Prompt**: Dim

* * *

_September 2010_

Alice and I had spent all summer getting ready for our move to Seattle. We'd both requested to room together and were thankfully granted a double on north campus in McCarty Hall. Jasper had left a few weeks before us to pledge Delta Tau Delta, just like his dad and grandfather before him, which meant he was practically across the street. His girlfriend Maria had left even earlier to move across the state to attend WSU and Alice and I couldn't have been rid of her quicker.

Maria had moved to Forks just a few years prior and though she was nice enough to our faces, she always had issues with Jasper being friends with us, even threatening to break up with him if didn't spend more time with her than us. Needless to say, we were both glad she would be a couple hundred miles away for the next four years.

After unloading our possessions into our new room and saying goodbye to Charlie, we returned to our room to unpack and meet some of our floor mates.

A few hours later, we were meeting Jasper at the front of our building for dinner.

"So how was the move?" he asked, leading us down a trail toward the Ave.

"Not bad," I answered, attempting to memorize the surrounding area for future reference. Alice and I had spent a few days on campus earlier in the summer for orientation and registration, but we'd spent little time in this area.

"How was pledging?" Alice asked, sounding curious, making me wonder if she regretted not pledging to a sorority. When she'd asked my opinion on it, I told her it wasn't for me and she never brought it up again.

"I could tell you…but then I'd have to kill you," Jasper teased, laughing at his joke while playfully punching both of us in the shoulder. "But really, the guys are great. We're having a party tonight, you have to come."

"I don't know…"

"Yes!" interrupted Alice, jumping up in down in excitement.

"I guess it would be good to meet some people."

"I'll help you pick something out!" she said, before returning her attention to Jasper as they decided where we'd eat dinner.

After a fight over whether we should get pizza or burgers, we ended up in a dimly lit Thai restaurant. We placed our orders and then spent the time waiting catching up on what Jasper had been up to the last few weeks. He told us about how he and Maria were on a break, the distance being too much to overcome. I could see Alice biting her lip in an attempt to cover up a grin.

Once we finished eating, we returned to the Ave for the walk back to campus. Jasper begrudgingly waited for us on the sidewalk bench as Alice pulled me into the Red Light vintage costume shop to look around.

"This place is so cool. We'll have to come back soon to look for Halloween costumes."

I nodded, feeling overwhelmed at all the differences the city held compared to little ol' Forks.

Before Alice could get pulled in too deep, I tugged on her arm. "Jasper's waiting," I reminded her, gesturing with my head to the door. "I don't want him to leave us here."

Alice rolled her eyes at me, begrudgingly walking toward the door. "Jasper would never do that."

When we walked out of the stuffy store, Jasper was greeting someone in a typical man hug.

"Finally!" he exclaimed when we reached his side. "You made it just in time to meet E."

"E, these are my friends from high school, Alice and Bella. Guys, this is Edward."

Alice extended her hand and shook his exuberantly. "Hi! Nice to meet you! Jasper told us a little about you at dinner."

Edward's eyes widened in surprise, most likely due to Alice's enthusiasm, as he returned her greeting.

When Edward took his hand back, he turned to me and smiled. I shyly waved and returned his smile before placing my hands into my hoodie pockets.

"I've gotta get going," Edward said, quickly glancing down the street where a group of other guys were standing.

"See you guys at the party tonight?" he asked, glancing at Alice before turning to me. When our eyes met, I quickly looked away, hoping my cheeks weren't blushing red from his attention.

"Yeah, I'm gonna pick them up in a few hours," Jasper answered for us. They said a quick goodbye along with an intricate handshake and before I knew it, Edward was strolling back to his friends.

"We better head back," Jasper muttered while looking at his watch. "Give you girls some time to get ready, and I have to help set up."

He started walking in the opposite direction Edward had gone and Alice and I followed along.

After a few paces, Alice nudged me with her hip. "He was cute," she said, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

"I guess."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **Unbeta'd. Look at that, the word count keeps getting longer. Fingers crossed that I can keep it up.. Sundays are off days for Witfit prompts but since I'm a day behind perhaps I'll get something written to update again tomorrow/Sunday.

**Dialogue Flex**: "Are you going to the game tonight?" he asked.

* * *

After finishing my coffee and a long hot shower, I dressed in my favorite pair of jeans and a tank top. The October weather was surprisingly warm for Seattle this year and I was going to enjoy it for as long as possible.

I grabbed a hoodie and tossed my keys, phone and the book I was reading into my bag and walked down the street to my favorite grassy area of Greenlake. Setting my hoodie down on the ground, I plopped myself on top of it, hoping it would keep my ass from getting wet.

When the sun broke through the tree branches that had been shading me, I reached into my bag to get my sunglasses. Checking the time on my phone, I noticed a missed call from Alice. I flipped the corner of the page I was on, closed the book and returned Alice's call.

"Hey B, where are you?!"

"Hello to you too," I replied with a laugh. Alice was never one to waste time with pleasantries with those she knew. "I'm at the park reading… how was your night with Jasper?"

Her high pitched giggle was clear through the phone.

"Fine."

"Just _fine_?"

I heard her hum to herself before responding cautiously, "I don't want to jinx anything."

"Okay." I had to smile for my friends. It was about time. Deciding to throw her a bone, I changed the subject.

"So, what are you up to today?"

"Well, I figured I'd get a jump on that paper I have due for soc… I think I'm going to go to the library. I just wanted to check in with you. You wanna spend Saturday stuck in the stacks?"

"The weather is too nice for me to be inside. I might join you later tonight though, if you're still there. I'll call you."

"Okay, B. Have a nice day!"

"You too."

I hit 'end' on the call and before I could put my phone back into my bag, it was vibrating in my hand with another call. This time from Angela.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Bella? It's Angela."

"Hey. What's up?"

"Well…um..." she stammered and I could guess what she was going to ask. "Are you busy today?"

"Do you need me to come in?" I asked, picking up my book and shuffling my stuff back into my bag.

"Please? Liam called out sick, I'm guessing he's faking but I can't prove it…"

"Don't worry about it." I shrugged the hoodie on and shouldered my bag. "When do you need me?"

"Like an hour? Just as soon as you can would be great."

"K, be there soon."

"Thanks, Bella. Bye!"

I was almost back to the apartment by the time I had ended the call. I tossed my bag onto my bed and rifled through my dresser drawer for my purple Husky jersey and baseball cap. Before leaving, I checked to make sure Tiger had enough food and water, grabbed my bag and made my way to my truck.

Remembering to take the back roads to avoid game day traffic, I made it to U-Village with some time to spare. I made a quick stop into Jamba Juice for a smoothie before heading into work at the Seattle Team Shop.

I'd stumbled into the job the previous year when Angela, a friend from a few of my classes, had offered me the position. In the beginning, the pay wasn't great, but the hours were flexible with my classes and it close to campus. I'd never been a big sports fan, but I knew enough from spending time with my dad, and Angela was grateful for an employee that never asked for time off to go to the games.

As I sipped my raspberry smoothie, enjoying the last few minutes of sunshine I'd see for the day, I was taken by surprise when I was jostled after running into a hurried moving body.

"Oh, sorry—"

"Bella Swan, what a nice surprise."

Just hearing that voice had my head snapping up to meet Edward's infamous smirk. My face turned into what was sure to be an unattractive scowl in an involuntary response to his presence. I hadn't seen the jerk in months, hadn't spoken to him in a year, and yet here we were fortuitously running into each other for a second time in less than 24 hours.

"What… are you stalking me now?"

Edward rolled his eyes, the expression on his face letting me know he wasn't going to dignify my snark with a response.

"Are you going to the game tonight?" he asked, looking me up and down in apparent surprise.

"What?" I was confused by his seemly random question until I looked down remembered what I was wearing.

"Oh no, I uh… I work there." I pointed across the way at the shop and he glanced over, nodding in understanding.

"I, uh, never would have guessed."

When he reached behind his neck to run his hands thorough his hair, I decided to end the awkwardness. "I'm late, so I better go…"

"Okay," he replied. His eyes quickly scanned around us, muttered something to himself then turned back to me and smiled. "Have a nice day at work, Bella."

"Thanks, Edward."

He shuffled past me and I watched him walk around the corner before shaking my head to clear him from my mind. I could not start thinking about Edward Cullen, again. It would just lead to trouble.

When I walked in the store, Angela nearly tackled me in appreciation. I shook her off and promised to be ready in a few minutes as I made my way to the backroom to deposit my things into an empty locker. Remembering Alice's earlier call, I decided to text her and let her know my change of plans while I finished my smoothie in the break room.

After clocking in, I got the run down on the day from Angela before practically shoving her out the door to take her lunch break while there was a lull. The game wasn't due to start for another few hours, but I knew we would have a rush come in shortly and it would be best to have us both on the floor.

Angela returned and we were swamped with customers before everyone finally left for the stadium. We had a few stragglers, but the store was pretty much dead, and it was Angela's turn to send me off for a quick break. I headed to the back room to check my phone, noticing one unread text message from Alice.

_Heard you ran into Edward. How did THAT go?_

I furrowed my brow wondering how she'd heard… then wanted to smack myself in the face when I realized Edward must have told Jasper. It wasn't until that moment that I realized if things were going where I thought they were with Alice and Jasper, it meant either isolating myself from my best friend or spend time with Edward. And if fate was going to keep putting Edward in my path, I didn't know how much longer I'd have the strength to stay away from him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** Unbeta'd. Sorry if there are any errors, I wrote this in a gmail draft and didn't re-read as thoroughly as usual, and I'm too tired after seeing Perks of Being a Wallflower (which was really good, I recommend it). My last stock-piled chapter, the next few will likely be a bit shorter unless the prompts really inspire me.

**Word Prompt****:** Pipe

* * *

_September 2010_

We made it back to the dorm with Jasper leaving us at the front door, promising to text on his way back to pick us up. There were a few hours until he would be back, so I started unpacking more of my boxes. Alice just rolled her eyes as she gathered her toiletries and left for the communal shower down the hall.

After emptying a box of my books, I climbed into my freshly made bed and exhaled. I crossed my arms over my chest and was tempted to close my eyes and just fall asleep. I knew it wasn't an option, Alice would be back any minute and she would harass me until I got up. It was obvious that she wanted to go to this party, so badly I wouldn't put it past her to dress me herself and cart me around Weekend at Bernie's style.

The problem wasn't that I didn't want to go. I actually did want to. Mostly, I wanted to see Edward again. But I was worried that once I got past the pretty face, he would be the stereotypical, idiot frat boy.

Before I had too much time to dwell on Edward, Alice was flouncing back into our room talking a mile a minute as she ordered me to take a shower. An hour later, I was dressed in an Alice approved outfit along with reapplied makeup, and we were meeting Jasper outside.

When we walked into the house, the smell of beer and sweaty bodies permeated the room. Alice and I grabbed hands and we stuck close behind Jasper as he wound his way deeper into the room. Music pounded through the speakers spread throughout the house, the bass vibrating through the floor so heavily I was a little worried for the building.

We reached what looked like the kitchen, and Jasper stopped to speak with some of his friends in front of the keg. The keg that Edward seemed to be in charge of tapping. He handed each of us a filled red plastic cup with a smile.

Alice and I thanked him and clinked our cups together, before taking hesitant sips.

We'd both drank before, bitch beer mostly, sometimes vodka. Whatever our friends could get a hold of. When the warm, watery beer touched my tongue I was tempted to spit it right back out.

"Do you want something else?" Edward asked us, but pointedly looked only at me.

I shook my head, taking a larger sip of the watered down beer to hide my embarrassment. Jasper quickly introduced us all, before starting a conversation with Alice and one of his friends, whose name I had already forgotten.

Leaning back against the kitchen counter I noticed that all of Jasper's friends, Edward included, were wearing the same purple Delts shirts, which I assumed signified they were the new pledges.

Edward had covered his up with a black and white plaid button down shirt, rolled up to his elbows and a backwards baseball cap atop his head. I was a little disappointed it concealed his magnificent hair.

I perused him shamelessly, that is until I returned my attention back to his face and noticed Edward was looking at me with a pensive look on his face. When our eyes met, instead of turning away like I expected him to do, he mouthed, 'hi' then broke out into a smile that lit up his entire face.

Feeling overwhelmed, I set my cup down behind me and leaned over to tap Jasper on the shoulder.

"Where's the bathroom?"

"Oh…um…" Jasper excused himself from his conversation and tugged me a few steps away. Once he pointed me in the right direction and after shrugging off Alice's offer to come with me, I easily spotted the only door down the hallway with a short line of people waiting beside it. Huffing in frustration, I joined the queue and dug my phone out of my pocket to text Alice that I would be a while.

When it was finally my turn at the front of the line, I stepped inside and quickly did my business. Upon quick inspection, I was extremely grateful that the bathroom seemed clean considering the house's inhabitants were a bunch of teenage boys.

Turning the knobs on the sink, the old pipes creaked loudly before a steady stream of warm water flowed out. I washed my hands, splashed some cold water on my flushed face and shut off the tap. I gave myself a quick once over in the mirror before turning to the door.

I had only opened it a few inches when I was pushed back. Edward shoved his way in, spun around and closed the door behind him before I could react.

"What..."

"Maybe I'm off base here but it seems like you're into me too...and Jasper said you were shy, so I'm just going to—"

His words cut off when he stepped toward me, cupped my face between his hands and leaned in to kiss me. His lips were warm and surprisingly soft. I stood frozen in shock and after a second of no response, Edward began to pull away.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, letting his breath fan across my face. "I shouldn't have—"

Before I could talk myself out of it, I threw my arms around his neck and pulled him back to me so our lips could meet again. When his interrupted words turned into a gasp of surprise, I opened my mouth and hesitantly let my tongue slide into his mouth.

Two loud and forceful knocks against the door had us pulling apart with a jolt.

_"Hey! Get a room!"_

I placed my hand on Edward's chest to push him away, my face flaming in embarrassment of being caught, but he grabbed my hips and kept me close.

"Let's get outta here..." His voice was a deep murmur in my ear before a quick kiss against my throat had me shivering with want.

He pulled back to look into my eyes, his expression was both nervous and optimistic, though his eyes sparked mischievously.

"Okay. Where to?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** Unbeta'd. I was feeling totally uninspired yesterday. Sorry if you think this seems like filler. I wanted to make it longer but then there would have been a longer wait.

**Word Prompt:** Glaze

After a long and boring shift, I said my goodbyes to my co-workers and trudged through the parking lot to my truck. The rusted red beast was an eyesore in a sea of luxury cars but it still made me smile. For being over 50 years old, it was still running like a champ and I never had to worry about anyone trying to steal it, though it was a bitch to park in the city.

Alice had left a message asking if I wanted to join her and Jasper for dinner, but my feet had hurt from standing at work and mostly I didn't want to be a third wheel on their date.

As I climbed into the truck, shoving my bag across the bench seat, I called to decline her offer, and then decided instead to make a stop for Thai takeout.

Once I made it home, I placed my food on the coffee table and set off to change out of my jeans and take off my bra. When I was dressed comfortably in a pair of boxer shorts and tank top, I returned to the couch and shoved the orange fur ball off his favorite cushion and plopped down with an audible groan.

Reaching over to grab the remote, I flipped through the channels until I came across The Social Network. Of course the movie was already twenty minutes in, but I had seen it so many times before it didn't even matter.

After stuffing myself full of food, I grabbed the blanket on the back of the couch and curled up to finish the movie, with Tiger sprawled out at my feet. By the time the credits were rolling my eyes had glazed over in exhaustion, so I decided to call it a night.

I got up off the couch, receiving a scratch on the leg for disrupting Tig's sleep and worked to clean up my mess. After turning off the lights and double checking the locks, I shuffled down the hallway to my bedroom.

Once I had brushed my teeth and washed away the makeup on my face, I scavenged through my bag for my cell to put on the charger. As I plugged it in, the phone lit up, displaying a missed message.

_I won't be back until morning, but I'm bringing Top Pot and lattes so don't cook! _

Smiling, I aimlessly hummed to myself before tapping out a response.

_Get the pumpkin ones if they have them. Night 3_

I set the phone on the night stand and turned off the light, casting the room into darkness. Wrapping myself up into the cool, soft flannel sheets, I sighed. Rolling onto my side, I inhaled and noticed a faint hint of Edward's scent.

Instead of agitating me like his presence usually did, the scent calmed me and within minutes I was asleep. With my mind filled with thoughts of Edward, it shouldn't have surprised me when he showed up that night in my dreams.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Unbeta'd.

Dialogue Flex: "Just one more," she said.

* * *

After Jasper and Edward managed to find extra bar stools, pushing us close together around the table, Jasper gestured to the bar. "I'm gonna go get a beer, Edward… what do you want?"

"You stay. I'll go...You want a Mac and Jacks?"

"Thanks, man. I'll get next round."

Edward curiously glanced at the empty glasses on our table. "What were you having?"

"Lemon drops!" Alice replied loudly with a giggle. "Let's get tequila shots this time, Bell..."

Reaching for my purse to get my wallet, Edward's hand shot out and grabbed my wrist. My eyes shot to where he held me and slowly drifted to his face. When our gaze met, he pulled away and murmured an apology.

"I got this round."

I opened my mouth to argue when Alice interrupted. "Just let him pay, B."

When I looked back over at Edward, he had already left to get our drinks.

"I know what you're up to..." I said, pointing a finger at Alice and then Jasper. "This is a set-up if I've ever seen one."

"I have _no_ idea what you're talking about." The high pitch of her voice told me differently.

Turning to Jasper, I gave him my best death glare. He raised his hands above the table in defeat. "It wasn't my idea!"

I shook my head at them and sat back in my chair, crossing my arms petulantly.

"It's been over a year, Bella..."

"Jasper, don't _even_ defend him. You know what he did."

"I do. But, he said he was sorry..."

"I can't deal with this, I need to go." I hopped off my barstool and grabbed my bag.

"No wait, Bella! Don't leave," Alice pled. Wrapping both of her arms around mine, she clung to my side. "We won't talk it anymore, promise! Right, Jasper?"

"Right... I'm sorry, Bell. I won't bring it up again."

"Please, please, _please_ stay," Alice begged, bouncing on her toes with each word.

"Fine," I relented, placing my bag at my feet and sitting back down. "But we're gonna need a lot more drinks."

* * *

Edward returned shortly after with a tray of shots, which we used to toast never having to see James again. Alice explained that she had Jasper had been chatting on Facebook recently and thought it would be nice to catch up.

I mostly listened as Alice and Jasper made small talk, only joining the conversation when prompted. Edward was quiet, but that wasn't unusual for him. I caught him staring at me a few times, and each occurrence had me squirming in my seat.

"Another round?" Jasper asked, glancing at each of us in inquiry.

"None for me…" I said, shaking my head. "But, let me give you some cash for the tab…"

"_Bella_," Alice whined, forcing my attention back to her. "It's Friday night… you don't work tomorrow, right?"

"No."

"Then let's stay for a little longer!" She slapped her hands on the table and laughed. "How about… one more round and then we'll go home."

"One more?"

"Just one more," she said, holding her hand up for a pinky swear.

I rolled my eyes, but humored her and raised my pinky to hers.

* * *

Three rounds later, Alice and Jasper had gone off to dance, leaving me by myself at the table. Edward had wandered off shortly after they did, muttering that he had spotted a friend. It was just as well, our conversations throughout the night had been stunted and awkward. Alice tried her best to defuse the tension, which only seemed to make it more obvious.

When my head started to feel heavy, I wearily rested my elbows on the table and held my head up with my hand.

"Tired?"

Edward's voice behind me had me jumping out of my chair in surprise.

"Fuck!" I cried out, holding my hand against my chest. "You scared me."

"Sorry," he said, the smirk on his face said otherwise. "You need a ride home?"

"No, Alice and I are gonna take a cab back…"

"I think you're on your own," Edward interrupted, frowning. "I just saw Jasper carrying Alice out the door on my way over here."

"What?!"

"Yeah… I thought maybe you were with them and I just didn't see, but… here you are."

I reached into my purse for my phone to see if I had missed a call when Edward hopped up out of his chair and reached into his back pocket.

"Phone," he explained, holding up the device for me to see. "It's Jasper."

"Alice was feeling sick…he said he can come back and get you," he read with eyes focused intently on the screen.

"Tell him I'm fine," I huffed, slightly annoyed that Alice had just left me. "I can make it home on my own."

"Bella, I have my car here, let me just take you."

"But you've been drinking."

He rolled his eyes at me. "I stopped drinking over an hour ago."

I furrowed my brow trying to remember.

"Fine," I muttered, too exhausted to come up with another excuse.

When I slid off the stool and took a step, I stumbled. I gripped the edge of the table to steady myself at the same time Edward's arm shot out to grab me.

"Let's just sit for a second…" he said. He hovered behind me, one hand on my lower back as the other poured a glass of water from the pitcher I hadn't noticed on the table.

"Here, drink this…"

I begrudgingly took the plastic cup and drank it all, letting the room temperature liquid sooth my parched throat.

"I didn't know you were going to be here…" he said a moment later, his voice so quiet I almost didn't hear him.

"That makes two of us," I grumbled while pouring myself another glass.

"I'm really sorry…"

I raised my hand to his face and interrupted him. "I don't want to get into this now."

"Okay, but—"

When I turned to scowl at him, he promptly shut his mouth.

After finishing my water, I set the cup down and gracelessly laid my head on the table and closed my eyes in attempt to stop the spinning in my head. After some time had passed, I opened one eye to see if Edward had left. He was still beside me on his bar stool, watching me intently.

"Edward?"

"Yes?"

"I'm tired," I whispered as I closed my eyes again.

"Let's get you home."


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:** Unbeta'd. Sorry for multiple updates of the same chapter. I'm still not quite used to the "new" system.

**Word Prompts**: Apply, defy, rely

* * *

When I woke the next morning to the sounds of Alice clunking around in the kitchen, I had to grin. We had lived in this apartment for over a year and yet she still had trouble finding things. Rolling over, I checked the time on my phone and seeing as it was almost ten, I figured it was time to get up.

I hopped out of bed and threw on a fleece hoodie that had been discarded at the foot of my bed and shuffled down the hall. Alice was opening cabinet after cabinet, in search of something. Since she was a morning person, it was no surprise she was already dressed for the day, and likely had a flawlessly made up face.

"What ya looking for?" I asked, leaning against the door frame.

"_Jesus!_" Alice screeched, turning around with a hand over her heart. "Thanks for giving me a heart attack."

"Sorry."

"I was looking for those plastic Tupperware storage things? But I can't find them anywhere…" She shrugged her shoulders in defeat before clapping her hands together in excitement.

"Look! They had pumpkin!" she squealed, pointing at the Top Pot box on the kitchen counter. "And I got you a pumpkin latte too… Hope it isn't overkill."

"Never!"

Smiling as I took the paper coffee cup into my hands and brought it up to my nose to smell. "You can never have enough pumpkin."

"That's what I thought you'd say," she said, reaching into the box to get a maple bar.

I bypassed the donuts, instead taking my cup and headed over to sit on the couch. Alice sat cross legged in the arm chair.

"So, I need to apologize for leaving you…" she said, her face suddenly turning from cheerful to full of remorse.

"It's okay—"

"No, it's not," she said, raising her hand to stop me from speaking. "I drank _way_ too much that night and Jasper wanted to get me out of there before I got sick… and then he told me Edward was going to give you a ride home, but I should have checked myself… I just want to make sure you're not mad."

"Well this sure helps," I jested, holding up my coffee cup before taking another sip.

"_Bella_," she whined.

"_Alice_," I parroted her tone, which she responded to with a scowl.

"So, _are_ you mad at me?"

When I didn't speak, she continued on, "It's okay if you are! I mean deserve it."

I rolled my eyes as I took a large gulp of the warm liquid and thought out my response.

"Honestly? I was a little at the time."

Her face dropped and I quickly finished my train of thought. "But I didn't even remember most of the night until now. I guess it came to me while I was sleeping."

"I'm sorry you couldn't rely on me," she mumbled, sad eyes cast down in her lap and a frown marred her face.

"Are you serious? You're my best friend; you're one of the _only_ people I can rely on…"

She rolled her eyes at me and interjected, "Well I wasn't a very good friend that night… We can both agree on that."

I groaned, frustrated with Alice's stubbornness. "If we agree to that…can we put this all behind us?"

"Sure."

"Okay then."

Alice looked like she wanted to say more but I glared and she exaggeratedly shut her mouth and zipped her lips with her hand.

When my stomach rumbled with hunger pains, I set my cup onto the coffee table and made my way to the kitchen for a donut. When I returned to the couch, Alice was still sitting in the chair, moping.

Wanting to lift her spirits, I decided to change the subject.

"So, tell me about what happened yesterday with Jasper."


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:** Unbeta'd. I usually read over the finished chapter a time or two before I post it, but I'm too tired so there might be tense issues or other typos.

**Word Prompt**: Crystal

* * *

After the third time Alice deflected when I mentioned Jasper, I decided to give up and wait for her to tell bring him up. I normally wasn't so pushy, but considering how long it had been since she last spoke to him, and how recent her breakup with James was, I was curious if this was just a rebound or if things would get serious.

Once we finished breakfast, she left to go pack up her stuff for a study session and I made my way back to my room. I rummaged through my dresser for warmer clothes, quickly deciding on my favorite flannel pajama pants seeing as I had no plans to leave the house.

With nothing but studying on my schedule for the day, I procrastinated by climbing back into bed with my laptop, where I wasted over an hour replying to Renee's latest emails and then scrolling through Facebook.

When Alice popped her head in to say she was leaving for campus, and I decided to distance myself from the internet and study in the living room. I grabbed my books, a bottle of water and the remote and dropped down on the floor in front of the television.

Scattering my books across the coffee table, I flipped through the channels, grumbling to myself when nothing seemed to be on the hundreds of channels. With nothing to hold my attention I flipped back to the Seahawks game. I made it a habit to watch them, finding that knowing scores and players stats were helpful when chatting with customers. It also gave me something to speak to Charlie about when he would call for his weekly chat.

When my stomach growled, I set my pen down and glanced up at the clock on the wall. My eyes widened in surprise when I noticed hours had passed and the last thing I'd eaten was the donut that morning. I capped the highlighter I was using and unfolded my legs to stand.

Making my way to the kitchen, I checked the fridge and decided to finish the leftover pasta I had made a few days prior. After carrying my plate to the table, I returned to the kitchen to grab a large crystal goblet and poured myself a large glass of merlot. I returned to the living room and ate my dinner while halfheartedly paying attention to a Teen Wolf rerun.

After taking my plate to the kitchen, I returned to grab my glass when I heard a knocking sound. Thinking it was for one of the neighbors I ignored it and started for the kitchen when I heard it again. I padded over to the front door and stood on my toes to see through the peep hole.

The sight of Edward on the other side of the door had me reeling back in shock. For a second, I was tempted to ignore him and pretend I wasn't home. Rolling my eyes at my immaturity, I stepped back and opened the door.

"Edward, what are you doing here?"

"Can we…uh, talk?" he asked nervously, shifting his weight from one foot to another as his hands run through his messy hair.

I nodded, opening the door for him wide enough for him to enter, before shutting it behind him and joining him in the living room. Standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, he waited for me to sit down before taking the spot on the other side of the couch.

"Do you want something to drink?" I asked, gesturing to my wine glass on the table, hoping to break the awkward silence. "Wine? Beer?"

"No, thanks, I'm okay. I'm sorry for just showing up… I just… I wanted to talk to you and didn't think it should be in public…"

"Okay…"

I watched him sitting uneasily, rubbing his hand along the scruff on his jaw, until he dropped his arm and he seemed to gather the strength to speak.

"I wanted to apologize…again."

"For?" I asked, my eye brows rising in curiosity.

"For _everything_. Before… the other night… you name it." He ran both of his hands along his thighs and sighed. "I can't seem to do anything right around you."

Unsure if he meant now or in the past, I just nodded.

"I don't expect you to forgive me, but…with Jasper and Alice dating now, or whatever they're doing—"

"We'll be seeing each other again."

Edward's head snapped up at my words and I groaned. "I mean… not _seeing_…"

He chuckled at my embarrassment. "I know what you meant. And yeah, I don't want there to be any awkwardness between us."

"Well, I don't know about _that_, but I'll try to be civil. For Alice."

He nodded in acceptance.

"Well, I should go..." he muttered as he stood.

I followed suit, walking Edward to the door so I could deadbolt it behind him. After walking through the doorway, he stopped and turned back to me.

"Night Bella," he murmured. He smiled softly before spinning around and plodding down the stairs and out of my sight.

"Night."

My whispered response seemed loud in the empty hallway as I shut the door and locked it behind me.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:** Unbeta'd. You've all made me second guess myself on Edward's big secret. I'm trying not to stretch it out too far though, so you'll find out soon.

**Word Prompt**: Patience

**Plot Generator—Phrase Catch**: Go out on a limb.

* * *

Before I knew it, Edward and I were in his car, speeding down darkened streets as the radio played softly in the background. He had grabbed my hand and pulled me through the house and out the back door before I could object.

"Where are we going?" I asked, watching him curiously as he opened the door to a shiny silver sedan.

"I just want to show you something. You'll like it, trust me," he smiled widely, gesturing with his hands for me to get in the car.

I hesitated, years of Charlie's protective cop spiel's running through my head, before shaking myself and folding myself into the front seat.

When returned climbed into the driver's seat, his face lit up with a grin before turning the ignition and backing out of the driveway.

After a few minutes of silence, I started to get anxious over my decision to leave. I patted down my pockets and breathed a small sigh of relief when I felt my cell phone.

"What's wrong?"

I quickly started a text to Alice to let her know I had left, when I realized something.

"What's your last name?"

"What?" Edward barked out a laugh as he looked over at me inquisitively.

"Your last name… I just realized- I don't know it."

"Cullen."

As I typed out my text, I felt his warm hand settle over mine. "We can go back if you want, Bella."

"Will you just… tell me where we're going?"

He turned back to the road and chuffed, though the sound was more of amusement than annoyance. "It'll ruin the surprise."

"I hate surprises," I groused.

Edward's laugh filled the small car, the genuine sound of it warmed me from the inside out.

"Kerry Park," he finally admitted, glancing at me with a raised eyebrow before looking back to the road.

"I… have no idea what that is."

"Good. Just have a little more patience with me, we're almost there."

I sat back in my seat, watching the new sights pass through the windshield. When my phone buzzed in my lap and I glanced at Edward before reading the screen.

'_I was looking for you! Jasper says Edward's a good guy so I'm not going to worry… too much. Stay safe!'_

"I take it you don't do this kind of thing often…" The sound of his voice startled me and I snapped my head up to look at him.

"Like what? Get into cars with strangers? Not so much."

When Edward didn't say anything else I continued on. "My dad's the police chief back in Forks… he would probably kill me right now if he knew about this."

"And what is _this_?" he asked, his tone one of curious amusement.

"Just… I don't _do_ this. I'm predictable, boring Bella. Going to that party was out of character enough, and now I'm here with you…"

I trailed off when I realized Edward had parked the car.

"Are were here?" I asked, looking around at the surroundings but seeing nothing but darkness.

"Yep," he replied with a chuckle. "Wait here…"

I watched him climb out of the car and shuffle to the back. The popping of the trunk startled me and I bit my lip in anxiousness. Edward tapped once on the window before opening my door, offering his hand to help me out.

He shut the door and locked the car with the key fob, before offering his other hand. Intertwining our fingers, he pulled me along. I followed his lead as my eyes started to acclimate to the dark, until I was struck by the sight in front us.

"This is amazing!" I squealed, squeezing his hand in appreciation.

Downtown Seattle, Elliot Bay and West Seattle were all lit up in front of us in a multitude of colors. I dropped his hand to lean on the guardrail, attempting to get as close as possible to the spectacular view.

"We'll have to come back in the daytime," Edward murmured in my ear as he wrapped his body around mine.

"Sounds good to me."


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note:** Unbeta'd. My internet is sort of broken. I'm attempting to upload this while it's cooperating with me. Hoping it's fixed soon.

**Word Prompt**: Rotten

* * *

As the temperature dropped and it became too cold to stay outside, Edward and I returned to the car and settled in to the backseat, exchanging heated kisses and gropes over layers of clothes until our fingers were frozen stiff. As the winds picked up, it's whistling pierced our ears and rocked the car back and forth.

With one last kiss, Edward tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and pulled away.

"We should probably get you back."

I licked my swollen lips and nodded. Returning to the front seat, Edward cranked the heat up and adjusted the vents so we were flooded with warmth.

As I reached for the hem of the large hoodie he had offered me when we were out in the cold, he squeezed my hand to stop me.

"You keep it. It looks better on you anyway."

Rolling my eyes, I bit my lip to hide my smile. While he was preoccupied with starting the car, I buried my face into the soft cotton at my neck to inhale his scent.

The ride back to campus was quick, with no traffic slowing us down due to the fact it was after midnight. When Edward pulled up to the curb in front of the dorm, I started to reach for the door handle when he stopped me. Placing one hand on my thigh, and then a second cupped my cheek as he leaned in and kissed me.

The kiss was sweet and quick, and as I started to open my mouth to him, he pulled away with a growl.

"We better stop…" he groaned, while running his hand across his mouth and jaw. "Or else we'll stay here and end up freezing to death."

"Okay," I whispered, leaning in to peck him on the cheek before pulling away and opening the door. "Night, Edward."

When I made it to the front of the dorm, I looked back, seeing Edward still in the same place I left him and waved before making my way inside. I climbed the stairs to my floor in a daze, my feet heavy as the day finally caught up with me. Before I knew it, I was inside my room, kicking off my shoes and shucking my jeans before climbing into my twin size bed. Still dressed in Edward's hoodie, I drifted off to sleep wondering when I'd see him again.

* * *

Days later, classes had begun and I had yet to see Edward. I hadn't thought to exchange numbers with him, too caught up in the euphoria of our night out.

It wasn't until Friday that finally changed. A construction detour and the rotten stormy Seattle weather had me highly irritated as I slipped into my geology lab after class had already started. Embarrassed, I tried to blend into the wall behind me as I scanned the back of the room for an empty spot, halting to a stop when I recognized _his_ untamable hair.

The days of feeling like I'd been blown off quickly festered to the surface and I attempted to find another seat, when he looked back at me and smiled, gesturing for me to take the empty spot at his table. The fear of being called out in class overwhelmed my anger with Edward and I shuffled around the other students as quietly as possible before sitting down beside him.

Leaning into me, he tugged on a loose tendril of my hair and whispered a quiet greeting.

After checking to make sure no one was looking at us, I smacked his hand away. "I didn't know you were in this class...I haven't seen you this week."

He rolled his eyes at me before replying. "It's a lecture of 700 people, Bella. I'm sure you haven't seen lots of people."

"Smartass," I murmured, gently elbowing him in the ribs.

The girl in front of us handed Edward a stack of syllabus and he took two before passing them behind us. When I attempted to grab my copy, he pulled them both out of my reach. Petulantly, I crossed my arms over my chest and attempted to ignore him.

As the TA excused us for the day, Edward leaned in close and nipped my ear.

"I can't stop thinking about kissing you," he whispered, then pulled back to look into my eyes.

"I doubt that," I mumbled, attempting to break his gaze.

"Why?" he scoffed. "Because I haven't called?"

"You couldn't have called, we didn't even exchange numbers," I retorted bitterly. Standing up, I extended my arm and gestured to the papers in his hand. "Give me my damn syllabus."

"Feisty," he said, chuckling as he handed my copy. "I friend requested you on facebook though… you haven't responded."

"Facebook is dumb," I said, following him out of the empty classroom.

"When's your next class?" he asked. Reaching, he tried to grab my hand but I pulled away and tightened my hold on my bag.

"Now."

"Liar."

"How do you know?"

Edward chuckled. "He just let us out a half an hour early… you can't have class for at least… 40 minutes."

Blushing in embarrassment at being caught, I decided to tell the truth. "I um... I don't actually have another class today."

Edward's face lit up with a grin.

"Well, what do you know… neither do I. Get coffee with me."

I bit my lip as I considered his offer. Tentatively, his hands settled on my hips and then he pulled me close. His whispered "please" against my neck had me shivering.

Stepping back, he extended his hand and looked at me hopefully. Nodding my head slightly, I took his hand in mine and followed his lead out the building.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:** Unbeta'd. I'm super fail with these. I got sucked into all the Breaking Dawn promo and Rob's trolling ways. I'm actually super fail because I had this done the day it was supposed to be up and then I just forgot to post it. Maybe I'll double update with that extra hour tomorrow.

**Dialogue Flex****:** "Do you mind if I change the channel?" he asked.

* * *

The next few weeks flew by, and suddenly it was time to study for midterms. Edward and I had taken to studying together, sometimes in the library but mostly in my dorm room. It started off innocently, until it escalated to the point where more often than not, we'd end up kissing on my tiny bed, books discarded to the floor in our haste to be close to each other.

Alice had started to get nosy about what was going on between us, and frankly I was wondering the same things. But it had gotten past the point where I could bring it up without things being awkward. We weren't dating – occasionally we'd meet up for coffee or get food on campus – but in public Edward wasn't shy about being affectionate, and when we alone, we almost always ended up making out.

"Come on," I groaned, pushing his hand out of my shirt as I attempted to sit up. "We _need_ to study."

"I was," he said with a playful leer. "I was studying for my sex midterm."

I rolled my eyes and shoved him off the bed. Edward and a bunch of the guys from his frat were taking a human sexuality class together and he took any opportunity to tease me about needing to study.

"This is so fucking boring," he groaned, raking a hand through his hair. "When are we ever going to need to know about fucking rocks?"

"Fucking rocks, huh? Is that a fetish you're learning about in class?"

"Ha _ha_, you're so funny," he replied, attempting to hide his grin as he tossed one of the pillows at my face. Sitting down on my desk chair, he grabbed the remote and started flipping it in the air.

"Do you mind if I change the channel?" he asked, pointing with the remote to the stereo.

Shaking my head no, he flipped around before stopping on song that seemed vaguely familiar.

"I couldn't handle your Top 40 shit for much longer."

"I listen to other stuff too!" I replied, scowling at his insult. "Like you're any better with your pretentious indie hipster music."

"You're cute when you're pretending to be mad," he murmured, smirking at me as he stood from the chair and climbing onto the bed. Nipping at my pouting lips, he took the notebook from my hand and tossed it aside, and situated himself between my legs.

"Edward," I whined. "We need to study. You can't be putting this music on and crawl on top of me and expect me to concentrate."

"I can concentrate just fine," he said, with his breath trailing against my neck as he kissed and sucked behind my ear. "I want you so much."

His whispered words were punctuated by a thrust of his hips against mine, and I gasped at the sensation.

"Why are we not having sex right now?" he mumbled, pulling away from my neck before kissing my lips again.

"Because I…I'm not ready yet," I admitted timidly, closing my eyes as my cheeks flushed with heat.

Breathing heavily, Edward drew back and rolled over onto his side.

"Hey," he whispered, taking my chin in his hand and tilting my face toward his. "I'm sorry for pushing… we'll slow down, okay?"

His earnest gaze had me nodding. He smiled and leaned in kissed my forehead before pulling away. Wrapping his arms around me, he rolled until he was on the other side of the bed. Grumbling, he hopped off the bed and reached for something on the desk.

"Let's finish with this review sheet and then we can go get dinner, okay?"


End file.
